InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ Just A Scratch ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to InuYasha...Rumiko Takahashi does. Bummer.

A/N: Reviewer Acknowledgements- Lucifer Spades, missy71, Koolkat191, moussajinx, Sassa, blackr0s3, unistar, shatterwake, & Cynbad146. Thank you so much for reviewing. I'm well and truly touched by each and every one. You guys are the ones that help me stay enthusiastic about my fics. Again, thank you. Read on and enjoy.

Reux

She knew what she was seeing, but didn't believe it. Her bow fit comfortably in her hands as she lifted it to sight her target. Her narrowed mahogany eyes focused on the incoming hanyou as she leveled her weapon. A devilishly happy grin spread across her face.

"No." Kagome stared at herself in disbelief. "This isn't right. It didn't happen like this."

Her deranged counterpart moved her eyes alone to wink at her. "You can't stop the inevitable."

The inevitable? Kagome didn't understand. She strode over to face herself and watched as she notched a sleek arrow to the bow. "What are you talking about?"

Her somewhat possessed twin chuckled at her confusion. "Don't you get it?" She tilted her chin in the hanyou's direction. "Look at him. What do you see?"

Kagome gazed at the hanyou rushing towards them in what looked like slow-motion. His shining mass of silver hair flowed behind him like a banner and the sleeves of his haori flapped in a nonexistent breeze. She smiled. "I see Inuyasha."

"Yes, Inuyasha the hanyou." Evil Kagome pulled back the bowstring and smiled.

Kagome lunged forward and grabbed her arm. "No! You'll kill him!"

Her psychotic twin shouldered her away. "Exactly!" She whirled back to adjust the arrow thrown askew by the attack. "If you continue along this path, eventually you will kill him."

"I would never kill Inuyasha!" Kagome crawled to her feet, face livid with rage. Where the hell did this bitch come from?

"Mikos and youkais can never be joined as you envision in that feeble mind of yours." She grimaced as she pulled the bow painfully tight.

Kagome could actually feel herself snarling. "How can you say that and be me?! I've never, ever thought that, so how can you, portraying yourself as me, think that?! I've never proclaimed to be a miko anyway! Everyone just assumes that because I have Kikyo's powers!"

The twin merely sighed. "Then I have no choice but to show you what will happen to your precious hanyou if you do not heed my warning."

"Who the hell are you?" Kagome was just too shocked to move.

She loosed the arrow and grinned as the jewel shard around her neck flared powerfully. "You'll know soon enough!"

"No!" Kagome snapped free of her trance and bolted across the meadow, blood rushing through her ears as she watched the flashing arrow streak towards him. "Inuyasha! Look out!"

Her words fell on deaf ears and he ran straight into the attack. The intensity in his face faded and was replaced by an utterly painful look of heartbreak. Kagome watched with horror as the arrow pierced his heart and sent him sprawling to his knees. The waterfall of silver hair melted away as his body was enveloped by the blinding light of her purifying energy. The adorable dog-ears that tugged at her heartstrings disappeared, as well as the golden glow of his eyes.

Kagome collapsed in front of him, staring into the eyes of his mortal form. She reached out to him tentatively. "Inuyasha..."

His warm brown eyes seemed to finally 'really' see her. "Why, Kagome?" It was all he could manage as he collapsed before her...dead.

Her vision swam as she screamed to the beat of her doppelganger's laughter.

Kagome's eyes snapped open with a start and she instantly stilled. Sweat coated her entire body like a thin film and she shivered. Blinking to clear her vision, the breath caught in her throat.

Inuyasha's sleeping face was maybe a foot away from her own.

She could feel the sticky residue that the tears had left on her face- that stiff, crinkling sensation. She'd been crying in her sleep. She hadn't thought that was possible. Kagome slipped her left hand up and rubbed the tear tracks away, and took the chance to really look at Inuyasha. He was real and he was breathing. It was just a stupid nightmare.

His face was serene with sleep, softening his angular features into an almost boyish quality. It was times like these that reminded her of the pup he had undoubtedly once been. But that was only because his mouth was slack and his eyes were closed. She could see the strengthened line of his jaw and the overall ruggedness that comes with age. Even the puppy-dog ears she adored had gotten taller and sharper in their shape. And despite having a single fang visible at his mouth, giving sufficient proof of his Inu-youkai ferocity, Kagome couldn't help but want to kiss him.

She honestly hadn't known what to expect given the fact he was a hanyou. She couldn't take his fifty year slumber into account of his aging because, technically, he'd been dead. She frowned at the familiar distaste at that thought. I think 'suspended' is a more appropriate term for it. Full-blooded youkais, like his brother Sesshomaru, didn't age at all. They were immortal. Inuyasha was part youkai, so in her assumption, partially immortal. Or maybe it was strong enough to override the aging process completely? Who the hell knows? She did know that he'd aged somewhat; she could see it in his face.

Kagome swallowed and grimaced at how dry her throat was. Kami, she was thirsty. She glanced at Inuyasha. He looks so peaceful. She didn't want to bother him just to get her a drink. She could get up and get it herself. Using her left hand, she tossed back the blanket and decided to sit up all in one shot. Sucking in a deep breath, she threw her upper torso forward. She managed to keep her scream down to a mild-mannered yelp. If felt like someone was jabbing a hot poker through her body. She hunched forward with a groan. "H...holy shit."

His Inu-youkai caught the muted sound and snapped to attention, tossing him out from the folds of deep sleep. "Who? What? Where?" Shaking his head as he sat up, his eyes fell on the girl beside him. No, that's a woman. There was no doubt in his mind that Kagome was no longer a girl. He'd have to be a fool not to see it. Although, at the moment, all he could see was the bloodstained bandages beneath the thin, borrowed yukata she wore. It reminded him of the metal 'STOP' signs he'd seen during his travels to her era.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he noticed the tension humming through her body and it gave him pause. It felt like he'd just caught her red-handed doing something forbidden. It was obvious that she had tried getting up, but was thwarted by pain. Was she trying to leave? Inuyasha suddenly felt nauseous. No, she can't leave in her condition. I won't let her! "Kagome?"

She physically flinched under the heavy questioning tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Her voice was a soft whisper. "I just wanted a drink of water."

If he had a jewel shard for every time he felt this asinine, then he'd have enough pieces to complete the Shikon no Tama a hundred times over. He swallowed. "I would've gotten it for you."

"You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you."

It was driving him mad that he couldn't see her face. Sango had undone her long braid and the wavy locks hung around her like a cloak. But she also wasn't turning to face him, and that bothered him. "I'll be right back."

Kagome caught a glimpse of his hakama and Tetsusaiga's sheath out of her peripheral. She didn't let out her breath until he'd exited the room. When he'd spoken her name, it had reminded her of the police officer's when he'd reprimanded her- the one and only time she'd ever shoplifted. It was part scolding and part angry. She didn't have to guess what he had to be angry about. Hm, let's see. I shot him with an arrow and shouted 'osuwari' all in the same night. You go, girl! She shook her head sadly. And to think she'd come back to remedy her mistakes. All she seemed capable of was piling more onto the mountain she already had.

Inuyasha took a moment to watch from the doorway before he made his presence known. Her bangs couldn't quite hide her face and he could see the elegant outline of her profile in the early morning light. Yeah, she'd definitely not a girl anymore. She had seemed so young to him during the year they'd traveled together. Her face had lost any remnants of her childhood roundness and was now sleekly refined. She was close to sixteen when she'd left. He did the math and it finally made sense. Kagome was close to twenty-one years old.

She must have felt his eyes because she flicked her bangs out of her face and looked up at him. Their eyes met, chocolate to gold, and it felt just as intense as when he'd seen her in that bloodstained meadow. It was like they were the only two people on the planet. Her wide brown eyes were swirling with what looked like a hundred different emotions, but none of them fear. He looked down at the thought. Fear? Had he really thought she was afraid of him? He glanced at her innocently curious face and almost nodded. Yes.

And that was what he had been afraid of.

Kagome watched him somewhat nervously, but her mouth practically screamed when she saw the cup of water in his hand. "Thank you for the water."

"Huh?" He blinked at her and then down at the cup. "Oh, yeah." He stepped into the room and held it out to her. "Here."

She greedily accepted it and savored the feel of it as it ran down her parched throat. She drained the cup and set it down. "That feels so much better."

"Do you want more?"

"No, I'm alright."

Inuyasha stepped to her left, moving to crouch between her and the wall. "You should rest some more. You lost a hell of a lot of blood."

She shrugged and immediately regretted it. "Fuck."

He would've smirked if her body hadn't started trembling all over. "How bad is it?"

"Oh," She sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and straightened up a bit. "It's manageable. I don't think you'd believe me if I said I was fine."

"Nope." He reached out to steady her.

Kagome breathed through the pain and glanced at his arm- right were his chest met his shoulder. There was a small rip with a faint blood stain around it. She could barely make it out from the red of his haori.

"If you continue along this path, eventually you will kill him."

Kagome shoved the image of her twisted sister away. She gulped a breath and gently slid her fingers across the torn fabric, feeling the soft bandage beneath it. "Does it hurt?"

Inuyasha watched her closely, concerned with how ashy her pale complexion had gotten. The bleak glisten in her eyes had him shaking his head. "No. It's just a scratch."

Her face instantly crumpled into a torrent of tears. "A scratch that could've killed you!" She gasped a huge shuddering breath. "Oh Kami, Inuyasha! I didn't know if I could stop it. I had no idea my power was that strong and it wouldn't listen to me." Once she'd started it was like she couldn't seem to stop. It was like she'd lost total control of all her functions. "I swore that I'd saved you from my mistake, but I saw you die in my dream." She couldn't seem to blink enough to clear her eyes. She ignored the vestiges of pain in her shoulder and scooted closer, reaching out to lay her hand above his heart. "I shot you right here and watched you die."

It was like she was trapped in a downward slide with nothing to latch onto. He'd never liked to see her cry, but this was taking it to the extreme. If he didn't do something she would probably pass out. Cradling her delicate face between his hands, he turned her head up. Her eyes were staring blankly at where her hand was pressed over his steadily increasing heartbeat. "Kagome, look at me." He gave her a gentle shake when she didn't comply. "'Kagome! Look at me! Look into my face!"

Ever so slowly, her reddened eyes traveled upwards to rest on his face with puzzlement. "Inu...Inuyasha?"

He almost sagged to the floor with relief. "Look at me, Kagome. Really look." He used his claws to brush her bangs out of her face. "I am very alive and breathing. I know you can feel my heartbeat under your hand, Kagome." She seemed to focus and nodded jerkily. "You didn't kill me, or even hurt me." He smiled wryly. "Actually, you probably saved me."

She yanked her hands back with a sob, fiddling with the blanket. "From myself."

His relief continued to grow as he watched her fingers pick at the blanket, a very normal Kagome nervous habit. "That may be true, but you've saved me from myself countless times."

Whatever hanyou-magic he'd worked on her, it chased away the despair that threatened to devour her. Kagome brushed the ragged fabric again. "I couldn't live with myself if you died by my hand." She sniffed. "Besides, I made a promise to myself that I'd never lift a weapon to you again- possessed or otherwise." Pulling away, she stared down at her open palms. "Can you forgive me?"

"Keh." He scowled. "There isn't anything to forgive."

"Inuyasha, please."

How was he supposed to ignore such a broken whisper? "Yes, alright? I forgive you."

Kagome managed a bleary smile. "Thank you." Clearing her thick throat, she pointed at the rip in his haori. "I want to fix that, too"

The hanyou closed his eyes and sighed. "Sure. Whatever you want." They were silent for a moment and all he could do was frown at how scared and vulnerable she appeared. It was starkly different compared to the fiercely determined miko he'd encountered earlier. The crippling need to wrap his arms around her fragile body and protect her from the world swamped him again. He held out an arm. "Come here."

Kagome's heart flip-flopped at the weight of his heated amber eyes on her body. She laughed nervously. "Oh, no. I must smell absolutely horrible with the sweat and the blood and-"

"Kagome,"

She felt like flinching again and cursed the flutters in her belly. "Yes?"

"Come. Here."

She simply nodded at the semi-dominant tone. I only deserve as much for balking like fool. She slid as close as she could and stopped, knees brushing against his. "Is this good?"

He tipped his head to the side in an eerily similar gesture of Inusaiai. She almost opened her mouth to comment about it when she realized he would have no idea who she was talking about- much less believe it. His abrupt movement snagged her attention as he stood up and bent towards her. "No."

Kagome's brows knitted with confusion. "What are you doing? Inuyasha!" She let out a shocked whimper when his lean arms slipped around her shoulders and under her knees.

He shrugged, still carrying her, and sat back down against the wall. "I'm not sure, but it's like I can't not touch you." It felt like he had no say in his body's actions. It was doing at it pleased. He crossed his ankles and easily sat her down in the circle of his lap. He wanted to shelter her from danger. He wanted to make sure she was protected from the peril he hadn't saved her from the night before.

Kagome sat so stiffly in his embrace that her back was beginning to ache. He'd never, ever gotten this close to her by choice and even when she had, he'd dropped her like a hot potato. She wasn't sure if he realized what he was doing- it certainly didn't sound like it-, but their proximity still managed to stain her cheeks red. Her heart was setting a sprinter's pace in her chest. "Inuyasha please put me down. I'm probably going to get blood all over you."

Inuyasha snapped open his eyes and stared at the top of her head. He choked back the whine that crawled up his throat. All she had to do was mention blood and it was like he reverted back into a primitive beast. I want to lick her wounds. He grimaced. Yeah, that'd go over well. It was true that his inner youkai was attracted to the smell of her blood and sweat, but he didn't want to shatter her already brittle state by announcing what was nagging at the back of his mind. Discouraging the Inu-youkai, he focused o her scent, her 'real' one. Her scent always reminded him of spiced apples and worn leather; the one that pacified his dog into submission. It was bewildering to feel that calm, but it was like her touch soothed something deep within him, something that had been restless for a very long time. His ears drooped with contentment. My constantly tortured soul, no doubt. Gently pulling her towards him, he buried his nose in her hair. "You smell amazing."

She resisted for another moment, but that bizarre calmness spread through her and she smiled giddily at his comment. Inch by inch, the tension left her body and she allowed herself the indulgence of sagging against his strong chest. She shifted so her wounded side was untouched and pressed her head on his good shoulder. She sighed peacefully when his head dropped to lean against her, his cheek resting on the crown of her head. She felt completely secure. Here she was totally untouchable by anything that could possibly harm her. Kagome could feel the pull of sleep dragging at her brain. "Inuyasha?"

"Hm?" He brought his arms up to wrap lazily about her back.

Kagome yawned and nestled her head tighter against his shoulder. "I missed you."

Inuyasha felt his own eyes droop and tightened his hold. "Me too."

A/N: Comment from the peanut gallery are warmly welcomed. XD.